If your securities certificate is lost, accidentally destroyed, or stolen, you should immediately contact the transfer agent and request a "stop transfer" to prevent ownership of the securities from being transferred from your name to another's.

You can begin with a quick internet search on the company's name. If this doesn't turn up any information, you may consult the corporate registry where the company was registered. You will find this information on the stock certificate, it will usually state “Incorporated under the laws of…”.

If an investor does not have or loses their stock certificate, they are still the owner of their shares and entitled to all the rights that come with them. If an investor wants a stock certificate, or if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, they can receive a new one by contacting a company's transfer agent.

For companies still issuing paper stock certificates, there are two ways to get a share certificate: through the broker you purchased the stock from, or directly from the transfer agent.

The transfer agent's name should also be on the back of your stock certificate. If the stock certificate is very old, however, that information may be out-of-date as well. You can find the right agent by contacting the current company's stockholder services office.

You may still request a stock certificate through the issuing company or via a broker. Brokerage firms keep an account in your name with the number of shares that you hold. Outdated stock certificates may have value as decorative collectibles.

Research the stock certificate at your local library. The Securities and Exchange Commission publishes a list of directories that you can use at your library to look up both actively traded and obsolete stocks.